Electric switch



H. CATLIN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPuc/mou FILED JAN. 3!, I920.

1 ,423,306, Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET ll6 Mm.

/7 /T CHTL/N T r-oer H. CATLIN.

ELECTRIC SWIITCH. APPLICAHON FILED IAN-131M920.

i F m m HOYT CATLIN, OF BRIDGEPORT,

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

CONNECTICUT, COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT,

Specification of Letters Patent.

ASSIGNOR TO THE BRYANT ELECTRIC A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed January 31, 1920. Serial No. 355,320.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HoY'r CA'ILIN, a citizen ot' the United States of America, residingat Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches, and particularly to a switch device for controlling the multiple connections to a heater unit or the like, the object of my invention being to provide a group of independent switch mechanisms operated singly or in groups from a single control lever.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan of a switch device in which my invention is embodied in one form;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44, Fig. 2;

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the connections to the heater unit in the several positions of the switch.

To selectively control the various connections to the resistance elements of a heater unit, it has been customary to utilize a single rotary snap switch provided with a plurality of blades which, in different positions of the switch, establish different connections between the mains and the several leads of the heater unit. here the current used is relat'ively light, a switch of this character is generally satisfactory; but where the current is heavy, as it must be for resistance units of large heat capacity, it is impossible to, obtain in a rotary snap switch a suiiiciently wide break between the switch blades and terminals to properly and safely handle the current. Moreover, in a switch of the rotary snap type the shocks incident to the snap action are quite severe when the switch is large enough to control heavy current, and this results in loosening the parts on the base, so that the switch soon reaches a state in which it is apt to operate improperly and thus endanger the installation.

According to the present invention, I provide separate switch mechanisms for each of the several connections to the heater unit and operate these mechanisms either in unison or independently by means of a single control lever. The mechanisms employed for this purpose are such that a wide break between the blades and terminals is secured when the switch is ofi'.

As a simple construction to illustrate the invention, I have shown a battery of three independent switches 10, 11 and 12, of the push button ty e, mounted side by side and secured by ho ding screws 13 to a bridge plate 14 ofl'set at its ends 15 and secured by a screw bolt 16 to a common face plate 17. The latter is punched to form a guide slot 18, in which works the shank 19 of the control lever 20. In the space between the bridge plate 14' and the face plate 17 is arranged a longitudinal spindle 21, on which is engaged and slides a cam plate 22 to which the shank 19 of the control lever is secured. This cam plate is provided withend bearing lugs 23 (Fig. 4) through which the spindle 21 passes, and on which the cam plate oscillates. At one side of the spindle 21- the plate 22 is offset downward throughout its entire length to form a cam 24. At its opposite margin the plate 22 is provided with a series of downwardly offset cam sections 25, 26 and 27 of dilferent lengths. The cam plate is of such extent, and is so positioned that the cams 25, 26 and 27 on the one hand are adapted to engage and operate the on push buttons 28 of the several switches 10, 11 and 12, while the cam 24 overlies and operates the several 01f push buttons 29 of the switches. The length of the cam 27 is such, however, that it engages the on button 28 of switch 12 only when the cam plate 22 is in the position determined by the movement of the control lever to the extreme left-hand end of its guide slot 18. The extent of the cam 26 is such that it overlies the on button 28 of switch 11 when the control lever is not only at the extreme lefthand end of the slot 18, but also when the lever takesapositionmid-length of the slot. The cam 25 is of such length that it overlies the on button 28 of switch 10 whatever the position of the control lever in its guide slot 18. The cam 24 which overlies the off buttons 29 of the several switches, is continuous, and thus is in position to operate these buttons at all times.

In order to insure the proper positioning of the control lever to operate the several switches either singly or jointly, the guide slot 18 is provided with a series of bays 30, 31 and 32, into one or the other of which the stem l9'of the lever must pass to throw the switches, or any of them, to on position. The depth of these bays may be such that the handle cannot be moved out of any of them without not only releasing the on buttons 28 actuated by the cams 2o, 26 and 27, but also simultaneously actuating through the cam 24 the off buttons 29, or such thereof as may be in up position. It. will be noted that I have shown the slot 18 provided with bays 33 opposite the bays 30, 31 and 32, but this is not at all essential and the slot may have a simple E-shape with the guide bays 3U, 31 and 32 alone forming the guides to control the position of the switch lever.

W'hile, as stated, the guide slot 18 may have its bays 30-432 so deep that the control lever cannot be shifted from one bay to another without throwing the switch device as a whole into off position, this is not requisite since the guide slot may be so shaped that it is possible to operate, say switch 10, for the high resistance, and then shift the lever into bay 31 to actuate the switch 11 for medium heat without first throwing switch 10 to off position. The change of the connections effects the desired result, as will be readily understood by any one skilled in the art. In such an arrangement the main guide slot 18 would be the neutral position for the control lever, and there would be but a single bay, 33, into which the control lever could be shifted to throwthe switch to off position. I prefer, however, to throw each mechanism off before shifting from one connection to the next.

In the construction indicated the necessary connection between the switch terminals to secure the desired relation is made by means of tie wires 34: and 35/and the switches themselves are of different types, switch 10' being of the double-pole type, switch 11 of the 3-point type, while switch 12 is of the single-pole type. Inasmuch as the details of switch mechanism have nothing to do with the present invention, I have not illustrated these well known constructions.

The wiring connections are indicated in the diagrams of Figs. 5 to 9, and show the manner in which the current is controlled in the several positions of the control lever.

It will, of course, be understood that in a commercial device the number of heats to be attained may be varied, in which case more or less than three switches would be invention to the push-button type disclosed.

The underlying thought ofmy invention is to control a series of different heater com- 0 6 binations by means of separate switch mechanisms, the several mechanisms, however, being operated by a single control member. I prefer a lever such as that shown operating in a guide slot after the fashion of the control lever of an automobile change speed gear.

It is also to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited in its utility to the control of heater unit connections, as it is adapted equally well to control various lighting circuit combinations, electric elevator connections or other suitable switch controlled circuits. Furthermore, while I have shown these switches of push button type, it is perfectly obvious that they may be of different type provided they may be operated from the single control lever. They need not all be of the quick make and break type so long as the one to which the mains are connected is of this type. Thus, in the installation illustrated, the double pole switch 10 is connected to the mains, and breaks the circuit with snap action; while the switches 11 and 12 might be slow make and break knifeblade type switches without in any way endangering the installation.

It will be further understood of course that fuses may be associated in any suitable manner with the control switch device.

I claim as my invention- 1. A group of independent switch mech anisms, a common control lever to operate the same, said control lever being displaceahle longitudinally with respect to the several switch mechanisms, and means fixedly associated with said lever for operating certain of said switches at will, singly or in groups, depending upon the longitudinal position of the lever.

2. A group of independent switch mechanisms, a common face plate therefor apertured to afford a guide slot for a control lever. in combination with a control lever adjustable at will to different positions in said slot, and means associated with said lever for operating certain of said'switch mechanisms singly or in groups, depending upon the position of the lever in the guide slot.

3. A group of independent switch mechanisms, a common face plate therefor apertured to afford a guide slot for a control lever, in combination with a control lever adjustable at will to different positions to said slot, and cam means associated with said lever for operating certain of said switches singly or in groups, depending upon the position of the lever in the guide slot.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HOYT CATLIN. 

